The state of New Hampshire is much the same as other states these days. Either find ways to create revenue or raise taxes on the people of the state. When faced with those options, the people of the state want to take the first option.

Now, that question will get tricky in the next legislative session when that first option becomes expanded gambling in New Hampshire. Still, people of the state would rather expand gambling than pay higher taxes.

Rockingham Park, in Salem, New Hampshire, will be the area that makes the most noise when lawmakers reconvene. There has been a proposal from a Las Vegas casino company to bring slot machines to Rockingham.

The idea is an attractive one for lawmakers. Their budget projects out to be about $250 million short at the end of this fiscal year. The slot machines have been projected to bring the state about $200 million annually.

If the proposal is accepted and the projections hold up, that would leave only $50 million for the state to have to come up with to balance the budget. The money the expanded gambling could generate could be too good to pass up.

The people of New Hampshire have never been in favor of expanded gambling, but they seem to be liking the idea more these days. With the economy as bad as it is, the added revenue would be a viable option rather than their taxes going up.

Gambling Makes Cheerleading Coach A Convicted Felon

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Anna Miles coaches cheer leading for the Hagerstown Heat in Maryland. It was a gambling fundraiser that has now made Miles a convicted felon.

Miles organized a bingo fundraiser in which she sold tip jars and ran a bingo game. The problem was that she did not have a permit to do either, and she was arrested and charged by prosecutors.

This week Miles was convicted on those charges, but the judge in the case stopped short of sending her to jail. The crime she committed could have landed her in jail for up to five years. The judge suspended the five year sentence and instead gave Miles three years of probation.

Miles is not completely off the hook, however. She still must be in court to face her violation of probation charges. She was on probation when she ran the illegal gambling fundraiser. It was the violation that had the judge the most disturbed.

“There have been some issues with fundraising and money in the past, which I think she has worked hard to deal with, but I don’t think she’s profiting from her cheer business,” said Miles’ lawyer Eric Andrews.

The state convicted Miles but is worried about the outcome of the case. Many organizations use gambling fundraisers to raise money for their cause. After the conviction of Miles, some of these organizations could be reluctant to hold their fundraisers, according to authorities.